Yipes! What a life of pumping out babies? Family meals must look like a school cafeteria. M

Abbotsford, B.C. woman gives birth to 18th child

Updated Sat. Jul. 26 2008 6:56 PM ET

The Canadian Press

CTV.ca | Abbotsford, B.C. woman gives birth to 18th child



ABBOTSFORD, B.C. -- Alexandru Ionce and his wife never planned to have 18 children in 23 years but when they welcomed little Abigail Ionce into the world, that's just what happened.

Abigail weighed in at seven pounds, 12 ounces last Tuesday, making her the 18th child for 44-year-old Livia Ionce and her husband Alexandru, 51.

The couple immigrated to Canada from Romania in 1990 and now live in Abbotsford, B.C. Their 17 other children range in age from 20 months to 23 years old.

Alexandru Ionce does not know if the couple will be having more children.

"We never planned how many children to have," he said. "We just let God guide our lives, you know, because we strongly believe life comes from God and that's the reason we did not stop the life.

"We let life come."

The family now has 10 girls and eight boys.

"We would have liked a boy to be even," he said. "We thank God all of them are healthy and happy."

He said the birth was not an overly difficult one and that mother and child are doing well.

"It's amazing. We are very happy with the newborn," he said "We love her. She is surrounded with love and joy from everyone in our family."

Alexandru Ionce works in the construction industry in the city 60 kilometres southeast of Vancouver.

"Right now, I am not worried about the job. I'm going to stay beside her and help. I have to take care (of) my wife and baby."

Abigail is sleeping well, he added, waking at about 5 a.m. each day for a feeding.

Only a few of the couple's children have been finicky sleepers at an early age, he said.

"We have just a few of them ... two or three of them woke up during the night. Otherwise we had no problem, you know. Each three hours, they wake up, get food and go back to sleep."

Ionce said the family has received calls from Germany, Romania and England, as well as from media outlets across Canada.

One TV station even suggested doing a documentary about what they suggested is the world's largest family.

It's an idea that amused him, but Ionce doubts they hold any record titles.

"I think we are not the largest," he said.

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National Debt =

BUMP

C'mon - Lumara, Viv, someone respond.

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National Debt =

I typed a response yesterday but deleted it before posting since it was negative about the guy not worrying about his job or how he'd support that huge family and that I was glad they don't live in the US and collect welfare here... A new baby should be a joyful occasion so I deleted it, but still...having that many kids is over the top and doesn't seem very responsible, especially if a new one is an excuse to not work and support them.

Are you happy now, Michael?

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"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty." Thomas Jefferson

Walter Mondale: "George Bush doesn't have the manhood to apologize." George Bush: "Well, on the manhood thing, I'll put mine up against his any time."

How much you want to bet the government is the one supporting them. They would have to be pretty rich to afford that many children. I am not going to congratulate them. I am going to say that this belief in 'God' is certainly screwing up people. Don't have kids you can't afford.

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May your paradise always be green, you liberties always be full, and may the ignorance of you enemies not drive you to be pro-nuke.

"We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself
into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and
trying to lift himself up by the handle."-Winston Churchill

Well, I don't see what belief in God has to do with it but I agree that the couple should be the one supporting these kids and not the government.

If they want to spend their money on popping out joeys, that's their right - but I resent people like this expecting the government to support them.

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A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.

"Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes toward the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

"I'm a panda," he says at the door. "Look it up."

The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.

"Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."

Why can't you believe in God and also believe in birth control? I don't see a contradiction there.

Back in the day of early live black and white television, Groucho Marx had a program called the "$64,000 Question." Back then there was no way to censor as all broadcasts were live. Groucho welcomed a new contestant, a middle aged salesman who had 10 children. So Groucho asks "why do you have so many kids?" The man responds "I love my wife." Then Groucho responds, "I love my cigar, but sometimes I take it out of my mouth."

He almost got banned for that wisecrack.

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National Debt =

""We never planned how many children to have," he said. "We just let God guide our lives, you know, because we strongly believe life comes from God and that's the reason we did not stop the life.

"We let life come." "

Pretty much I got that they were religiously anti-birth control and would not stop screwing so.... we get tons of little kids. I am fine with it if they could pay for them, but chances are they are not the ones paying for the little buggers.

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May your paradise always be green, you liberties always be full, and may the ignorance of you enemies not drive you to be pro-nuke.

"We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself
into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and
trying to lift himself up by the handle."-Winston Churchill

Perhaps you should make sure about that last line before critizing them. Construction can pay a lot of money, not to mention they are greatly assisting in driving the market for all things baby.

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"The people have always some champion whom they set over them and nurse into greatness...This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector."


"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."

--Plato

Well from Annual cost of a child survey the average cost of a UK child is £186,032, or 366,910.91 dollars over 21 years. We multiply that by 18, the number of kids they have and we get 6,604,396.45. Plus however much they have to pay for themselves and the other house bills. There oldest is 23. Add 21 for the newborn and they owe about almost 6.6 million of 44 years just to pay for the kids. I do not know anyone in construction that makes enough to afford that.

It did not say what he did or how much he makes. As I said before the chances are they can not afford them and are not the ones that are paying for them.

__________________
May your paradise always be green, you liberties always be full, and may the ignorance of you enemies not drive you to be pro-nuke.

"We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself
into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and
trying to lift himself up by the handle."-Winston Churchill

Would it make you feel better if he had said "nature" instead of "God"?

__________________
A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.

"Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes toward the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

"I'm a panda," he says at the door. "Look it up."

The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.

"Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."